From Dark Matter to the Early Universe: a Cosmic Roadmap

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公法111-5)资助的。过去十年见证了我们对早期和现在宇宙的理解的一场革命，证实了量子力学起源的种子最终要对星系的形成负责，宇宙中95%的能量密度以暗物质和暗能量的形式存在。即将到来的宇宙学观测和加速器实验将揭示更多令人敬畏的现象，这些现象将挑战我们的理解，但也为我们提供了前所未有地融合核物理、粒子物理学、天体物理学和宇宙学的机会。中微子具有质量和混合的发现开启了一个新时代，在这个时代，早期宇宙宇宙学、大尺度结构形成和恒星演化与宇宙学观测和加速器实验相结合，提供了超越粒子物理标准模型的一瞥，这可能会打开加深理解暗物质和暗能量的窗口。这个项目描述了早期宇宙宇宙学和粒子物理学跨学科研究的继续。我们提出了一个计划，通过提供一个全面的框架来研究中微子的产生、演化和引力聚集性质，从而评估标准模型以外的扩展中微子作为可能的暗物质候选者。我们还试图了解早期宇宙膨胀阶段的量子过程和关联，以及它们在即将到来的测量中的潜在可观测性。该计划由粒子物理、天体物理和宇宙学中强大的实验和观测计划推动和补充，并借鉴量子光学和非平衡凝聚态的广泛跨学科方法，为评估新现象和探索其可观测结果提供基本框架。这是一个处于核物理和粒子物理以及天体物理和宇宙学前沿的跨学科计划。中微子不仅打开了一扇超越标准模型的物理之窗，而且是核物理和粒子物理、天体物理和宇宙学之间的共同纽带。我们今天看到的宇宙是在快速膨胀的早期阶段从微小的量子涨落中诞生的，这一想法令人敬畏，在智力上具有挑战性，也令人兴奋。了解我们宇宙的过去和现在，以及从最小的组成部分开始的最大结构的起源，并用卫星、望远镜、探测器和加速器打开通往早期宇宙的窗口，显然是一些最迷人的智力问题，也无疑是最具挑战性和最有回报的努力之一。更广泛的影响如下：该计划中探索的许多方面，如量子动力学和相干，在各个领域都引起了广泛的兴趣。此外，中微子振荡为研究宏观量子相干以及环境退相干和驰豫之间的相互作用提供了一个舞台。这项研究涉及的概念和方法也适用于由量子计算驱动的凝聚态物质和量子光学。研究早期宇宙和当今宇宙中一些最奇异的物体的吸引力超出了从事这些领域工作的科学家的范围，并接触到了广大观众。

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."The last decade has witnessed a revolution in our understanding of the early and present Universe with the confirmation that seeds of quantum mechanical origin are ultimately responsible for the formation of galaxies, and that 95% of the energy density in the Universe is in the form of Dark Matter and Dark Energy. Forthcoming cosmological observations and accelerator experiments will reveal more awe inspiring phenomena that will challenge our understanding but present us with the opportunity of an unprecedented convergence of nuclear, particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. The discovery that neutrinos have masses and mix ushered in a new era in which early Universe cosmology, large scale structure formation and stellar evolution combine with cosmological observations and accelerator experiments to offer a glimpse beyond the standard model of particle physics which may open the window towards deeper understanding of Dark Matter and Dark Energy. This project describes a continuation of interdisciplinary research efforts in early Universe Cosmology and Particle Physics. We present a program to assess neutrinos in extensions beyond the standard model as possible Dark Matter candidates by providing a comprehensive framework to study their production, evolution and gravitational clustering properties. We also seek to understand quantum processes and correlations during the inflationary stage in the early Universe and their potential observability with forthcoming measurements. This program is driven by and complements strong experimental and observational programs in particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, and implements a wide range of interdisciplinary methods borrowed from quantum optics and condensed matter out of equilibrium to provide a fundamental framework for the assessment of novel phenomena and explore their observable consequences.This is an interdisciplinary program at the forefront of nuclear and particle physics and astrophysics and cosmology. Neutrinos not only open a window to physics beyond the standard model, but are the common link between nuclear and particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. The notion that the Universe that we see today was born out of small quantum fluctuations during an early phase of rapid expansion is awe inspiring, intellectually challenging and stimulating. Understanding the past and present of our Universe and the origin of the largest structures beginning from the smallest constituents, and opening a window to the early Universe with satellites, telescopes, detectors and accelerators are clearly some of the most fascinating intellectual questions, and undoubtedly one of the most challenging and rewarding endeavors. The broader impacts are as follows: Many of the aspects explored in this program, such as quantum kinetics and coherence are of broad interest across fields. Furthermore neutrino oscillations provide an arena to study macroscopic quantum coherence and the interplay between environmental decoherence and relaxation. The concepts and methods involved in this study are also relevant in condensed matter and quantum optics motivated by quantum computing. The appeal of studying the early Universe and some of the most exotic objects in the present Universe goes beyond the scientists working in these areas, and reaches out to the broad audience.